Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) theme focuses on the incidence and prevalence of violence against women in conflict and post-conflict settings. Polarisation of gender roles, proliferation of weapons, militarisation, and the breakdown of law influence SGBV.

The risk of SGBV is heightened during conflict by aggravating factors, including the polarization of gender roles, the proliferation of arms, the militarization of society, and the breakdown of law and order. The subsequent long-term and complex impacts of SGBV continue to affect individuals and communities after conflict ends.

SGBV is addressed in all five resolutions on Women, Peace and Security. In SCR 1888, the Security Council expresses its intention to ensure peacekeeping mandate resolutions contain provisions on the prevention of, and response to, sexual violence, with corresponding reporting requirements to the Council (OP11). The resolutions deal with protecting women from violence (1820,OP3, 8-10; 1888,OP3,12); strengthening local and national institutions to assist victims of sexual violence (1820,OP13; 1888,OP13); and including strategies to address sexual violence in post-conflict peacebuilding processes (1820,OP11). SCR 1820 also calls for the participation of women in the development of mechanisms intended to protect women from violence (OP10).

Lastly, SCR 1960 creates institutional tools and teeth to combat impunity and outlines specific steps needed for both the prevention of and protection from conflict-related sexual violence. The new “naming and shaming,” listing mechanism mandated in the Resolution is a step forward in bringing justice for victims and a recognition that sexual violence is a serious violation of human rights and international law.

Addressing SGBV is an integral aspect of the overall Women, Peace and Security agenda. SGBV affects the health and safety of women, and also has significant impact on economic and social stability. The Security Council recognises that sexual violence can threaten international peace and security, and that it is frequently used as a tactic of war to dominate, humiliate, terrorise, and displace.

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SOMALIA: Puntland President Praises Women, Calls for 'War Crimes Tribunal'

The president of Somalia's Puntland government opened the country's first-ever international women's conference in the Puntland capital Garowe, where he praised the positive role of Somali women and encouraged women to take the lead in Somalia, Radio Garowe reports.

CONGO/ANGOLA: UN Says 30 Women Raped at Congo-Angola Border

At least 30 women were kept as prisoners in a dungeon-like structure and gang-raped over multiple weeks at the Congo and Angola border before being left in the bush without their clothes, an international aid agency said Tuesday.

INTERNATIONAL: For World's Women, Some Highs and Many Lows

The practice of female genital mutilation is declining, but violence against women is still rampant across the world. More women are taking up work traditionally done by men, but they still don't have access to jobs of status and power.

Two U.N. reports, out this week, describe some progress for women in areas such as poverty, education, health and work. But on the whole women still far short of men in many measures of success.

KENYA: Women and Children Bear Brunt of Conflict

This year's United Nations report on State of World Population 2010 shows that women and children suffer most in conflict and disaster situations which make them most vulnerable to gender based violence.

Speaking during the launch of the report, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative Fidelis Zama Chi asked governments to pay attention to sexual violence especially in countries affected by conflict.

INTERNATIONAL: Violence Against Women a Global Phenomenon

Violence against women remains widespread across the world, exacerbated by traditions and customary practices that determine the way women are treated in families, places of work and communities, according to a United Nations report unveiled today.

AFRICA: Gender: Sexual Violence Used to

Modern war is often not about soldier against soldier, but a struggle to "break the will of civilians — women, girls, men and boys" by whatever means possible - including rape - the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) State of the World Population 2010 report published on 20 October states.

INTERNATIONAL: Rape More than a Gender Issue, UN Says

Rape as a weapon isn't just a gender issue but lies at the forefront of peace and reconciliation, the United Nations' top official on sexual violence said.

A U.N. human rights team found that more than 300 civilians were raped in the Congo by militants July 30-Aug. 2. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the area deflected criticism that it ignored warnings that surfaced days before the rapes occurred some 20 miles from their base.

AFRICA: Study Highlights Need for Better Post-Rape Care in Conflict

Recent research into the effect of mass rape on HIV in conflict situations has highlighted the need for better post-rape care services for affected women and girls.

GHANA: Personnel of Ghana Armed Forces Undergo Training on Gender-based Violence

The workshop, organised by the Child Protection Unit and Legal Directorate of GAF on behalf of Save the Children, Sweden, has the theme; "Minimising Gender-Based Violence in the Society."

COTE D'IVOIRE: Rampant Criminality, Sexual Violence in West

Well-armed criminal gangs in western Côte d'Ivoire subject local residents to a relentless stream of abuses, including assault, robbery, and sexual violence, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

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